Scars That Never Fade
by miisfxrtune
Summary: Today marks two months since one of our great heroes fell. Two months ago today...Ladybug was killed in her and Cat Noir's final battle with Hawk Moth.
1. Anniversaries

**A/N: Alright, I've slept and re-read the original of this chapter and there are _so many grammatical errors_, so here it is rewritten with no errors or mistakes. Enjoy.**

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**Anniversaries**

Adrien Agreste sat at his desk in his bedroom staring sadly at his computer screen. On his computer screen was the home page of the Ladyblog and the newest post Alya had made. It was about how it was officially two months since that fateful night that ended in her death. Reading the post physically pained him, but he found himself unable to take his eyes off of it. His eyes seemingly glued to the screen as he read the post over and over again.

_Hello, my viewers, _the beginning of the post read.

_As I'm sure all of you know, today marks two months since one of our beloved heroes fell. Two months ago today...Ladybug was killed in her and Cat Noir's final battle with Hawk Moth. I've been keeping up with the trial and I'm happy to announce that Gabriel Agreste has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parol not only for his crimes against Paris, but also for murdering our favorite hero in red. I cannot express the joy I feel at knowing he has been brought to justice and Ladybug's death wasn't for nothing. _

_I miss her just as much as the rest of you, but as I'm sure we all know, Cat Noir is having the hardest time with his whole situation. He's been seen around a few times these past two months, and I hope for his sake that no reporters try to pester him with questions today if he's seen out at all today. He's truly doesn't need the hassle, and we all need to be there for him as best we can during this time of loss for him. _

_In honor of Ladybug, everyone write your favorite memory of her in the comments. Let's all reminisce together about Ladybug's time in Paris. She will never be forgotten, and her legacy will live on forever within us. _

_Stay connected, _

_Alya_

The model felt tears prick his eyes as he read the post more times than he could count and then proceeded to read some of the comments below it. There were thousands of comments about peoples favorite memories of Ladybug, whether it was times she had saved them or times when she was just being her oh so amazing self. With a heavy heart, Adrien closed the Ladyblog tab on his computer, and turned it off. He sighed heavily and spun his desk chair around to face his bed, where he saw Plagg curled up on one of his pillows, snoring quietly and cuddling a slice of camembert as he slept. Thinking about Ladybug, Adrien found himself not wanting to be home. So, he stood from his chair.

"Plagg." He called, startling his Kwami awake. "Wake up. We're going out."

"I better get _so_ much cheese for this when we get back." Was all Plagg said as he quickly finished the slice he had and Adrien called on his transformation.

"Plagg, claws out!" He called, and in a flash of green light, Adrien Agreste was replaced with Cat Noir. He leapt from his bedroom window and took to the rooftops of Paris, not really knowing where he was going and not really caring. It was three in the morning, so he didn't have to worry about being seen since everyone in Paris was asleep.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

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Marinette Dupain-Cheng shot up in her bed with a gasp for air as the nightmare faded away. Her breaths came out in short gasps and her heart pounded against her ribcage. Her blue eyes were as wide as dinner plates and her mouth hung open. She let out a sigh as she took in her surroundings and found the familiar pink walls of her bedroom. She placed her hand on her chest just above her heart and traced her finger over the big scar that resided there, serving as a daily reminder to her that she was supposed to be dead.

She was _supposed_ to be dead. She _should_ have died that night, in fact he _had_ died that night, but for whatever reason, she didn't stay dead. She found herself wondering on most days if that was a good thing.

"Marinette?" A small voice called out to her. The bluenette turned her head to come face to face with her Kwami as she fluttered over to her. Tikki gave her a sad look.

"Was it the same nightmare again?" She asked, and Marinette sighed as she nodded.

"It's _always_ the same nightmare, Tikki." She said, tiredly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I can't help it. Every time I close my eyes...I'm _back _there and reliving what happened _over_ and _over_ again..."

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Marinette." Tikki said sadly, and Marinette shook her head.

"It's not your fault, Tikki." She told her. "You and I know that." Tikki smiled sadly at her and nodded, and Marinette sighed again.

"I think I'm going to go up to the balcony." She told her. "Clear my head, or whatever."

Tikki only nodded before fluttering back over to where she had originally been sleeping on Marinette's pillow, and Marinette smiled at her for a moment before she opened the door of her skylight and pulled herself up onto her balcony. She shivered slightly as the cool night air hit her bare shoulders, and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm as she walked over to the railing of her balcony.

Ever since that night, Marinette had been to terrified to transform into Ladybug again. She was afraid of what the people of Paris would think of her now. She had failed. She had one job to do: protect Paris and defeat Hawk Moth, and she had failed. After what happened, Cat Noir had to take care of Hawk Moth by himself. Ladybug could only watch helplessly as he ripped the butterfly Miraculous from the villain and revealed him to be Gabriel Agreste. Thinking back to the look on Cat Noir's face when he saw who was under the Hawk Moth mask sent chills down Marinette's spine. Another reason she was afraid to transform again. She was afraid of what Cat Noir would think of her. Would he think of her as helpless? Weak? Not good enough? Useless? She hadn't been able to stop their enemy, and in the end made him do all the dirty work.

She _wanted_ to transform, she did. She _wanted_ Paris to know that she was alive and okay. Every time she heard Alya go on about how much she missed Ladybug, the bluenette was tempted to just scream _'I'm right here! Look at me! I'm fight in front of you! I'm alive!', _but she never did. All in all, she was afraid. Afraid of what people would think of her if she just randomly showed up out of nowhere after being presumed dead for so long. Even though there was no more Hawk Moth and no more akumas, that didn't mean that Paris still didn't need to be protected. Marinette felt guilty leaving Cat Noir to do it all alone, and hated herself for being so afraid of her alter ego.

Subconsciously, her hand trailed up her chest until it rested over her scar, thus hiding it under her palm as she felt the beating of her heart beneath her fingertips and she remained deep in thought. So deep in thought in fact, she didn't notice the leather clad hero leaping across rooftops, spotting her on her balcony and leaping in her direction. She didn't even notice he was there until she heard his voice.

"And just what are _you_ doing out of bed at three in the morning?" He asked, and she whirled around in surprise as her heart rate skyrocketed in her chest.

"Ca-Cat Noir." She stammered, ignoring the pang of sadness that shot through her upon seeing him. "Y-y-you scared me."

"My apologies, Princess." He said, using his nickname for her. Marinette almost smiled at hearing the nickname for the first time in so long, but a heavy weight crushed her heart at hearing his voice. The last time she had heard his voice, he had been crying over her...over her body, and begging her to come back to him.

Shaking her head to clear the memories that took over, she blinked and made sure to keep her hand over her scar so he wouldn't see it. Seeing as she was wearing a tank top that would definitely _not_ cover her scar at all no matter how she adjusted it.

"S-s-so..." She trailed off. "Wh-what brings you by?"

"Oh, you know I was just...out and about." He told her. "Needed to clear my head and get some fresh air, you know? Seeing as its..."

"The two month anniversary of Ladybug's death?" She finished for him, and he nodded, a somber look on his face. Like with Alya, Marinette found herself wanting to scream _'Look at me, Chat. Can't you see me?! I'm right in front of you, silly kitty! Look at me!'_, but instead she pursed her lips and bit her tongue, forcing the words to die in her throat.

"Yeah," He sighed. "I was...reading a post about it on the Ladyblog and I just...I don't know I just-"

"Started to miss her?" She asked, and once again he nodded.

"I've been trying to..." He trailed off. "I've been trying to move on and accept the fact that she's gone and she's never coming back but...we were partners for _five years_. You don't just _get over_ a bond like that in two months. She was...she was my _best friend_ and I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you with this."

"No, it's okay!" She told him, maybe a bit too quickly. She was desperate to hear what he had to say. "I...I imagine when you aren't transformed and are just your..._normal_ civilian self you can't talk to anybody about this without revealing who you really are. So, if you need to...I don't know...rant? Blow off some steam or just...talk about her? I'm all ears, and I happen to be a pretty good listener. You wouldn't be burdening me with anything, I promise."

Cat Noir looked unsure as he thought it over, and for a few moments she wasn't sure if he was going to talk at all, until he did.

"She was my best friend," He began, looking up to the sky. "and I failed her."

Marinette was taken aback, and she felt her eyes widen. He thought he failed her? Why on earth would he ever feel that way?

"What makes you think you failed her?" She asked, quietly, and he sighed.

"I...I wasn't fast enough." He said. "If I had been faster..._noticed_ what Hawk Moth was going to do earlier...he never could have laid a hand on her. She would still be alive. We could have celebrated _finally_ catching the man who has been terrorizing Paris for _years_ together...if I had just been a little faster. If I had been faster, I could have saved her."

Marinette felt her heart shatter, and she was sure she stopped breathing. He thought what happened to her was _his_ fault? How could he _ever_ think such a thing? Everything that happened to her that night was Gabriel Agreste's fault. Was _Hawk Moth_'s fault. Definitely _not _his.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault." She told him quietly. "Whatever happened that night."

He shook his head and tears pricked his eyes as she let out a shaky breath and turned to face the bluenette.

"You weren't there, Marinette." He told her, his voice shook. "If you had seen what happened..."

He trailed off, and Marinette had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from telling him that she _was_ there, and not only had she _seen_ what happened, she had _lived_ it.

"Cat Noir." She said. "Ladybug would _never_ blame you for what happened to her. I _know_ she wouldn't."

He let out a dry laugh and scoffed, turning back to the sky. "Yeah, I know she wouldn't." He said, a bit of bitterness in his tone. "She should, though. I could have...I _should_ have done more."

"I'm sure that whatever happened...it was an impossible situation." Marinette told him. "Hawk Moth _needed_ to be dealt with, and there's no way that you could focus on helping her _and_ taking him down at the same time. That's too much for one hero to handle alone."

Cat Noir continued to stare at the stars as tears began rolling down his cheeks, and everything came bubbling to the surface.

"There was..._so much_ blood, Marinette." He said, his voice hoarse. "God, there was...you would think that somebody as small as she was couldn't possibly have that much blood in her but...there was _so much blood_. After I ripped Hawk Moth's Miraculous from him and knocked him out I...I tried to help her. I did. But...I couldn't do anything. She had already lost too much blood so I just...I just held her and I...I told her that everything was going to be okay. That _she _was going to be okay. She...she died in my arms. I heard her last words...felt her last breath. It was awful."

"Chat..." She trailed off, putting a comforting hand over his. "I am _so sorry_."

"You don't need to apologize for anything." He told her, wiping his nose and eyes. "It's not like you're the one that killed her."

_Maybe I didn't kill her, but she may as well be dead because of me_. Marinette though, fighting back a flinch. She moved her hand from his hand to his shoulder, and squeezed it comfortingly.

"You know..." She said warily, unsure if she should go this far with things. "I knew Ladybug. Maybe not as well as you did but...she and I were friends. Would it...help at all if you talked about her?"

Cat Noir looked at her with surprise in his cat like eyes. "You two were friends?" He asked, and she nodded. "How did you even meet each other?"

"It was...back when Evillustrator had been akumatized and asked me out on a date." She told him. "Ladybug stopped by my house to tell me that she had to go on a secret mission, but that you would be around to protect me until she could make it back to help you take him down."

"And you stayed in touch after that?" He asked, and she tilted her head.

"Well, yes and no." She told him. "If she ever saw me at the scene of an akuma attack after you and her finished defeating the villain, she would check up on me and make sure I was okay before she had to leave. She would come to balcony sometimes too and we'd just..._talk_."

"What would you guys talk about?" He asked her, desperate to know more.

"Well, at first we talked about the kind of music we liked, as well as books we liked to read and shows we liked to watch." Marinette told him. "She could never get into _too_ much detail, because the smallest things can give someone clues about your identity, but she said as much as she could without giving too much away about herself."

Cat Noir smiled as he imagined Marinette and Ladybug sitting together on her balcony and Ladybug waving her hands around dramatically as she talked about a book she had read and enjoyed. He could almost hear her laugh ringing in his head.

"She talked about you a lot, too." Marinette said, hesitantly.

"She did?" He asked, and the bluenette nodded. "What did she say?"

She smiled at the blond boy before her, thinking this was her chance. This was her chance to tell him everything she would say if she were Ladybug in this moment instead of Marinette. So, she opened her mouth and let the words spill out of her.

"She talked about how even if your puns did annoy her at times, she still appreciated your _attempt_ at having a good sense of humor." A small smile came to Cat Noir's face as she continued. "And she would talk about how even though she always shut you down or rejected you, your flirting _did_ flatter her to an extent. Not that she'd ever tell you that in fear of boosting your ego too much."

Cat Noir couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as more tears rolled down his cheeks, and Marinette gave him a watery smile as tears of her own pricked her eyes.

"But most of all?" She started. "She talked about how much she loved you."

Cat Noir's eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief. Had he heard her right? Did she honestly say what he thought she said?

"She _did_ love you, Cat Noir." She told him. "She never told you because she felt like she was somehow betraying some guy she had a stupid crush on for so many years who never even noticed her. In fact, there actually were some instances where she came _so close_ to telling you, but she would chicken out last minute. She also talked about how much of an _amazing_ partner you are, and how she couldn't imagine having anybody else by her side fighting akumas every day except for you. You were...the _best _partner she could ever ask for."

A single tear slid from Marinette's eye and she watched him absorb her words. Letting them fully sink in. His heart ached, and he let out a strangled sob before pulling Marinette into his arms. It took her a moment to get over her shock before she wrapped her arms around him in return and they clung to each other tightly as they both cried. They didn't know how long they stood their holding each other, but neither of them cared. They both brought each other a sense of comfort that neither of them had felt in _so long_. Marinette pressed her face into the crook of his neck as she relished in the feeling of having her kitty so close to her again. Words couldn't describe how much she missed him.

"I loved her so much, Marinette." He sobbed into her shoulder, and she nodded against him.

"I know you did." She told him. "It was...kind of obvious."

That got him to laugh for a moment, and she couldn't help but smile. They pulled apart and wiped their eyes, Marinette quickly covered her scar with her hand again and thankfully Cat Noir didn't seem to notice the sudden movement. He smiled at her.

"Thank you." He said. "For listening and...for telling me all of that."

She smiled sadly at him. "You looked like you needed to hear it." He nodded.

"Yeah, I did." He told her. "I miss her..._so much_."

"I'm sure wherever she is," Marinette said as they both looked to the sky. "She misses you, too."

_I'm right here, Chaton! I'm right in front of you! Please, see me!_

Cat Noir smiled as the pair looked at the moon and the stars that hung oh so delicately in the night sky, and Marinette thought back to a similar moment the two shared all those years ago before Glaciator had been akumatized.

"She always talked about how much she loved stars and constellations." He said, softly. His eyes seemingly looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "Her favorite was always-"

"The Archer." They said simultaneously, and they glanced at each other for a moment before looking back to the sky. Marinette's eyes flitted across the field of twinkling stars in the sky above her, and when she found what she was looking for, she pointed it out to him.

"Look." She said. "There it is."

"There what is?" He asked, following where her finger was pointing. At first he didn't see it, but then he connected all of the dots like Ladybug had taught him to do and the constellation seemed to materialize before him.

"The Archer." He said, smiling softly.

"The Archer is my favorite constellation, too." Marinette told him. "It used to be the Big Dipper, but Ladybug told me that was too basic and that I needed to convert." A low chuckled vibrated in the leather clad heroes chest and he shook his head as a smile dance on his lips.

"Yeah, that sounds like something she'd say." He said. "When I told her I didn't have a favorite constellation, she went off on me and told me everything I needed to know about the Archer and why it was so cool and why it was her favorite...she made sure to give me _all_ the information I needed about it, and then she asked me again."

"Let me guess?" Marinette asked. "You told her it was the Archer?"

"That's what I _told_ her, yes." He said. "But even after that, I still didn't really have a favorite, but it was what she wanted to hear so I said it. And then...after everything happened, it really _did_ become my favorite constellation because it reminds me of her. Sometimes I even find myself..._talking_ to it like its her. I know that must seem stupid."

Marinette shook her head. "It's not stupid." She assured him. "It makes you feel close with her again, I can understand that."

Cat Noir only nodded as they looked back to the Archer constellation, both feeling reminiscent as so many memories flooded their minds. Cat Noir looked over at the bluenette beside him who seemed to be lost in thought, and his eyes shot down to her chest when they caught sight of a big scar just above where her heart was. His eyes widened, and he almost fell over.

"Oh my god, Marinette, _what happened_?" He asked her, she turned to look at him in confusion only to follow his line of sight to the scar on her chest. She squeaked in panic, having forgotten she had uncovered it to point to the constellation. She quickly covered it again and tried to brush it off.

"It-it-it-it's nothing!" She stammered, and he shook his head.

"That doesn't _look_ like nothing." He told her. "That's a _big_ scar! What happened?"

"N-n-nothing!" She told him. "Nothing happened! It's just uh...you know...one of those scars you wake up with and...don't really know how it got there...?"

He gave her a look that told her he definitely did not believe a single word that just came out of her mouth. So, in panic and fear of being pestered about how she acquired the scar, she started slowly taking steps back towards her skylight.

"Uh, y-you know what?" She stammered, laughing nervously. "I-I almost forgot. I-I-I'm meeting with my friend A-Alya for breakfast in the morning so...I-I should pro-probably go to bed. Goodnight, Cat Noir!"

With that, she quickly jumped through her skylight and into her bedroom, closing the door of the skylight behind her. Cat Noir stood there dumbfounded, and he stood there for a few minutes staring at the skylight where Marinette had just went through with only one question in his head.

How the hell did she get that scar?

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**A/N: Alright, so after rewriting the first chapter and fixing the errors as well as adding some things, I reached over 4,000 words! Alright, now that this has been fixed, I'm going to start working on chapter two which should be up either tomorrow or the day after depending on when I finish writing it. **

**Review maybe?**


	2. Run Ins

**A/N: I'm happy you guys liked the first chapter so much! Some people thought I was going to leave it there, but I would _never_ leave you with such a cliffhanger! So, without further ado, let's get chapter 2 started. **

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**Run Ins**

There was a very _annoying_ beeping that awoke Marinette from her deep sleep. She grumbled in annoyance as she felt around for her phone to silence her alarm, and sat up slowly with a heavy sigh as she turned the alarm off and stretched. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and lazily walked down the stairs of her bed to the main level of her room. Tikki hovered silently above her shoulder as she followed her around the room, silently watching her chosen go through her normal routine for the morning. Marinette took a shower, and the steaming hot water cascading down her back seemed to release some of the tension that had built up in her shoulders since the previous night. It had felt good to see her partner again, she had missed him terribly. At the same time though, it was utterly heart breaking, and even a little terrifying. Especially since he saw her scar, and if she knew the cat as well as she thought she did, he would be back again to ask her about it.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she finished showering and blow dried her dark hair before getting dressed and pulling her hair back into a single, low ponytail. She had dropped the pigtails a couple of years ago when she decided that she wanted to switch up her style a little bit. She made sure the shirt she was wearing didn't expose her scar in any way, and after making sure she was in the clear, she grabbed her purse and put some cookies in there for Tikki before beckoning her Kwami into the bag. Tikki smiled at her before fluttering down into Marinette's purse, and with a heavy sigh, Marinette was off to meet Alya.

Marinette said a quick goodbye to her parents and exited through the side door of the bakery. She rounded the corner of the bakery and out onto the sidewalk, making her way to the crosswalk at the corner. She waited for the street sign to say 'walk' and quickly walked across the street before heading in the direction of the café she and Alya had agreed to meet at. Unbeknownst to the bluenette, there was leather clad figure up on the rooftops watching her every move with curiosity, and while said figure knew he didn't need to watch over the girl after she had proved to him many times over the years that she could handle herself, he couldn't shake the need he had to protect her, especially now that he had seen the scar she had on her chest. He didn't know how she got it, but whatever happened must have been pretty bad, and the mere thought that he hadn't been there to protect her or stop whatever happened from happening made him queasy. So, here he was, watching her from the rooftops just in case any sort of danger came her way. He had failed Ladybug, he wasn't going to fail Marinette, too.

Marinette walked a few more blocks until she came to a stop in front of the café she had been looking for. It had just opened a few weeks prior, and Alya had been going on about how good their food and coffee was for what seemed like forever and continually _begged_ Marinette to go there with her for breakfast one morning, so now here she was. Drawing in a deep breath and releasing it heavily, the bluenette proceeded to enter the café, out of the leather clad figures line of sight. Which bothered him a little, so he stayed perched on the roof he was on. Eyeing the windows of the café just in case anything fishy happened.

"Marinette!" The bluenette heard her name being called, and looked in the direction of the voice to see Alya waving her over to a table for two next to the café's front windows. Marinette smiled when she saw her and walked over to the table. She sat down across from her best friend and smiled at her.

"Hey." She greeted her.

"You know, I'm _genuinely_ surprised that you were able to wake up this early." Alya teased her, and Marinette rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well, you have been pestering me about coming to this place with you since it opened." Marinette said. "I didn't want to be late and feel your wrath."

The girls giggled and a waitress came over to take their orders, and walked away with a smile once they placed them. It wasn't long before the waitress came back with their drinks, the girls accepted them with smiles and thank you's, and the waitress told them their food would be out shortly before walking off with another smile to go tend to another table. Marinette lifted the warm mug to her lips and took a slow sip of the coffee, and Alya watched her with anticipation in her eyes. When she placed the mug back down on the table, Alya jumped right into it.

"So, what do you think?" She asked. "It's _amazing_, right? It's like the best coffee I've ever had, please tell me you like it!"

"Alya, calm down." Marinette giggled. "I do like it, I do, I'm just not as..._coffee crazy_ as you are."

"Are you insulting my caffeine addiction, Dupain-Cheng?" Alya asked in mock offense.

"I am not _insulting _it, Césaire." Marinette told her. "I am simply making an observation."

"Nino would have had the same freak out I did." Alya stated, and Marinette snorted.

"Yeah, that's because he's _Nino_ and freaks out about literally anything and everything he finds cool." The bluenette said, and Alya nodded.

"That is...very true." She said, and the girls shared a laugh as the waitress came back and set their plates of food in front of them. They thanked her and she nodded as she walked away.

"So," Alya started, leaning back in her chair and taking another drink of her coffee. "Have you been working on the designs for your portfolio? You have to get those applications sent in within the next couple of weeks, right?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have." She told her. "They're coming along great."

"Okay, so, when can I see them?" Alya asked eagerly.

"You can see them when I've done the finishing touches, I promise." She told her. "I will let you see them before I have to send them in."

Alya clapped her hands rapidly in excitement and Marinette couldn't help but laugh at her best friends antics as they began to eat their breakfast. While they ate, they chatted about seemingly simple things such as the final exams coming up as well as graduation. Then Alya brought up the Ladyblog.

"Did you see my Ladyblog post this morning?" The brunette asked, and Marinette tensed.

"Uh, yeah." She said warily. "It was really..sweet."

"God, I can't believe it's been two months since she died." Alya said sadly. "It feels more like two _years_."

Marinette laughed nervously, "Uh, yeah...feels like it."

"Girl, aren't you hot?" Alya asked suddenly, changing the subject when she saw that her best friend was wearing a long sleeved sweater and the sun was beaming down on them through the window. "Why don't you take that sweater off?"

"No!" Marinette said quickly, causing Alya to raise a questioning brow at her. "I-I-I mean...I'm fine. I'm not hot, if anything I'm...cold."

"_How_?" Alya asked in disbelief. "How could you possibly be cold?"

All Marinette did was laugh nervously before bringing her mug to her lips and taking a long drink to avoid answering Alya's question. Alya eyed her with a questioning look in her eye, but the brunette dropped the subject as she didn't see the point in arguing with her best friend over something as silly as the temperature. Alya let out a sigh and leaned her elbows on the table as she took a drink from her own mug.

"What do you think happened to her?" She asked absentmindedly as she glanced out the window. "Ladybug?"

The blogger missed Marinette slightly choking on her drink and setting her mug back down on the table.

"Uh...I don't know." The bluenette said. "The only ones who could ever tell us what really happened that night would be Cat Noir and Hawk Moth, but one is in prison and the other hasn't been seen around much lately."

"Don't you think its weird that her body was never found?" Alya pondered, and a chill ran up Marinette's spine.

"I...suppose it is...strange." She said, nodding. "But Alya...you know it doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't it, though?" She said, turning back to face her. "Her body was never found, and when you really think about it, nobody knew who Ladybug was."

"I don't see where you're going with this." Marinette said as anxiety pooled in her stomach.

"Nobody knows who she was, so nobody knows who her family is." Alya told her, and Marinette shook her head.

"_Still_ not sure where this is going..." Marinette trailed off.

"Well, if Ladybug died that night of the final battle, then she never came home. So, her family would have reported her missing and _bam_, we'd know who she was." Alya explained. "But _nobody_ was ever reported missing."

Panic shot through Marinette as she finally realized where her best friend was going with this.

"Oh my god, Mari, what if Ladybug's _alive_?" She asked, a hopeful look on her face as the evidence she had came together in her head.

"Alya, if Ladybug was alive...don't you think she would have come back by now?" Marinette asked nervously, ignoring the guilt she felt in her gut.

"Maybe." Alya said. "Unless she was injured really badly that night and isn't able to transform."

Marinette visibly winced. _Oh, she can transform, alright. _She thought, but forced herself to nod and smile.

"You...make a fair point...I guess." The bluenette said, and brought her hand to shirt where her scar rested underneath the fabric.

"I never even thought about all of this until now." Alya said. "But now that I am...Ladybug's death makes almost no sense. There are too many holes in the story..."

"Alya, don't you think you're just getting your hopes up?" Marinette asked, trying anything to get her best friend off the case she was undoubtedly making in her head. "L-Ladybug is-is d-dead...and you're only setting yourself up for another heart break if you go searching for a story that simply...isn't there."

"But Marinette, _think about it_-"

"I see what you're saying, Alya." Marinette interrupted. "Believe me, I do...but sometimes...things that you think are evidence just..._aren't_. I don't want you to go full blown detective with this because you're just going to end up hurt all over again when you find nothing and have to come to terms with the fact that Ladybug is...is _dead_...all over again."

Alya frowned, and Marinette reached across the table to take her hand.

"I'm just...I don't want to see you get hurt again." Marinette told her, sincerely. "Do you remember how you reacted the _first time_ after finding out Ladybug was dead?"

Both girls flinched at the memory of Alya bursting into Marinette's bedroom in tears the morning after Cat Noir had delivered the news that Ladybug had died during the final battle with Hawk Moth. The blogger cried for hours on her best friends shoulder over the fact that her favorite hero was dead, and Marinette felt a small part of her heart break with every tear that leaked from the brunette's eyes.

"Yes." Alya muttered dejectedly.

"As much as I don't mind being your shoulder to cry on, I don't want you to put yourself through that pain again." Marinette told her. "So please, whatever theories you've just come up with in your head...let them go. They won't lead you anywhere good."

Alya sighed and her shoulders slouched. "You're right." She said. "I know you're right, its just..."

"It would be nice if Ladybug wasn't dead." Marinette finished for her. "It would be nice if she was still around."

"It wouldn't just be _nice_, it would be..._amazing_ if she were still alive." Alya said. "Paris hasn't been the same since she died."

Marinette frowned. She had noticed the change in the city after they heard of her alter ego's passing. While Cat Noir was still around, it just wasn't the same only having one of Paris' favorite duo watching over the city. Cat Noir was doing a great job at protecting the people of Paris on his own, Marinette knew that. She had heard the stories of the criminals he had helped the police put behind bars, some had been on the most wanted list for years. Marinette was proud of her kitty for doing so well without her. If anything, it only convinced her more that she didn't need to transform again. Cat Noir could manage just fine on his own. He didn't need her.

"Anyway, sorry for bringing up something so dark." Alya said, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts. "It's just...since it's the two month anniversary of her death it seems to be all I can think about."

"You and just about everyone else in Paris." Marinette said with a strained smile. "It's normal. People are still..._grieving_ I guess is the word for it."

"Yeah." Alya sighed. "Anyway. Let's get onto a brighter topic. Did Nino tell you about the gig he got at a club that just opened up?"

The morning continued on like that as the two best friends chatted and shared laughs as they ate their breakfast. With all the studying they all had been doing for their final exams, they hadn't gotten much time to see each other or hang out. Eventually, the girls paid the bill and walked out of the café, neither of them noticing the black figure that leapt down into a nearby alley to release his transformation.

Alya offered to walk Marinette back home, and the bluenette accepted so the duo set off in the direction of Marinette's house. They had walked about a block and a half when they ran into someone.

"Adrien!" Alya greeted the blond with a smile.

"Alya, Marinette!" He greeted back. "Hey!"

"Fancy meeting you here." Alya said, and nudged Marinette lightly. "Right Marinette."

"R-Right!" The bluenette stammered, breaking free from the trance she had fallen into upon seeing her crush.

"Well, I was just doing a little window shopping and I saw you two so I...thought I'd say 'hi'." He said, smiling down at them. Marinette smiled back at him, and Alya's phone began to ring.

"Oh, it's my mom." She said. "I've gotta take this." With that, the brunette walked a few feet away, thus leaving Marinette and Adrien alone.

"So," Adrien started, and Marinette turned back to face him. "What's got little miss 'can't wake up before eight' up and out at eleven in the morning on a Saturday?"

"Oh, uh, A-Alya wanted me to-to go to this n-new c-café with her f-for breakfast." The bluenette said. "She's been uh...bugging me about it for a while so...here I am."

Adrien chuckled. "Who would have thought it would take Alya's constant nagging for a breakfast date to get you out of bed so early." He said, and a blush tinted Marinette's cheeks as she giggled lightly.

"Yeah." Was all she said, and Alya came walking back up to the duo.

"Hey, sorry Mari, I've gotta bail. My mom needs me to babysit my little sisters." The blogger said. "Will you be okay getting home?"

Marinette went to nod and tell her she'd be fine, when Adrien cut in. "I'll walk with her and make sure she gets back safe." He said, and Marinette's eyes widened slightly. Alya smiled at him.

"Great. Thanks Adrien." She said. "I've gotta go. Bye! Text me when you get home!"

Marinette waved goodbye to her best friend and then turned to face the model again who stepped aside.

"Ladies first." He said, and she blushed again as she began to walk. He fell into step with her and they began to walk towards her house in silence.

"So," Adrien said after a few moments. "How is Alya handling the whole 'anniversary of Ladybug's death' thing?"

Marinette sighed. "She's doing okay, I guess." She told him. "Though now she's got this dumb idea in her head that Ladybug could still be alive."

The bluenette missed Adrien's steps faltering a little, but the blond quickly balanced himself and cleared his throat.

"What uh...what gives her _that_ idea?" He asked, and Marinette sighed again.

"Well, she thinks is suspicious that her body was never found, but that doesn't mean anything." Marinette said. "And she went on about how since Ladybug died, whoever she was as a civilian never would have made it home and would have been reported missing by her family and then we'd know who she was but I mean that's just...that's _crazy_, right?"

"Uh, yeah...crazy." Adrien said, nodding.

"I mean, she's just getting her hopes up for nothing." Marinette said. "Don't get me wrong I love the girl, but...I can't stand the thought of her putting herself through that pain again if she decides to..._investigate_ the whole Ladybug thing based on a hunch she has."

Adrien remained silent, not knowing what to say and Marinette sighed again and rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache.

"Sorry, I don't mean to rant about this kind of thing." She told him. "Besides, I already talked Alya out of it so there's...no need to really worry about it anymore."

"No, no, it's-it's fine. Really." Adrien said. "Rant away."

"No, I'm just...overreacting is all." Marinette said. "I'm being an overprotective friend."

"You're not being overprotective, trust me." Adrien told her. "You're worried about her. I get it. Ladybug was her hero."

"Yeah..." Marinette trailed off. "I wonder how Cat Noir is doing. Today can't be easy for him."

"I uh...I'm sure he's...managing." Adrien said, and Marinette noticed he sounded a little sad.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked, looking into his eyes. "You sound sad."

"Wha-me?" Adrien asked. "No, I...I'm fine."

"Oh my god." Marinette said, and Adrien stopped talking.

"What?" He asked after a moment.

"I completely forgot that you were a big fan of Ladybug, too!" Marinette said. "Oh my god, Adrien. I'm so sorry! Here I am going off about Alya's stupid theories about her being alive and probably getting _your_ hopes up too for no good reason and just-agh! I. Am _so_. _Stupid_!"

"No, no, Marinette, it's okay!" Adrien said quickly. "You're not stupid! I'm fine, I swear! You did nothing wrong."

"You promise?" She asked after a moment, and he nodded.

"Promise." He told her, and she let out a long breath.

"God, I can't seem to do anything right these days." She said, thinking about everything that had happened in the past two months.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, and Marinette's eyes widened as she realized she had said that a little too loud.

"Uh...n-nothing." She told him. "Look! We're at my house! Uh, th-th-thank you. For...walking me home."

"It was...no problem." Adrien said, curiosity in his piercing green eye.

"I'll...see you in school." Marinette said. "Okay, gotta go, bye!" She waved goodbye to him quickly and dashed to the side door of the bakery. She hurried inside and Adrien watched her rush up the stairs through the window for a moment.

"...Bye?"

* * *

Later that night, Marinette was sitting up on her balcony adding some things to the designs for her portfolio while Tikki watched from her spot on her shoulder. Marinette dropped her pencil against the page she was on and huffed loudly.

"Tikki...do you think I'm doing the right thing?" She asked her Kwami.

"What do you mean, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"Not transforming." Marinette said. "Not being Ladybug...letting everyone think I'm dead...am I doing the right thing?"

"Well, you _did_ die that night, Marinette." Tikki told her. "So that isn't technically a lie."

"I _know that_, Tikki." The bluenette said. "But letting Paris believe that I stayed dead...is it the right thing to do? Should I give them their hero back?"

"Marinette, if you aren't comfortable with transforming yet, you don't have to." Tikki told her. "The choice is entirely yours and yours only. Not anybody else's."

"Still..." Marinette trailed off. "Am I doing the right thing...by lying to Cat Noir too?"

"You aren't technically lying to him, Marinette." Tikki told her.

"I know but...Tikki he watched me die. He thinks I'm dead, and I know how much it's hurting him." She said. "Should I...should I tell him that I'm Ladybug or will that just complicate things?"

"Again, that choice is _entirely_ yours, Marinette." Tikki told her chosen.

"Can't you just _tell_ _me_ what to do?" Marinette asked, and Tikki shook her head.

"Marinette, you can't act on decisions that other people make for you." Tikki said. "You have to make your decisions for yourself."

"But I _don't know_ what I want to do." Marinette said with a huff of frustration.

"Then until you do, you don't have to do anything about the Ladybug part of your life." Tikki told her. "Don't go rushing into anything without thinking it through first."

Marinette pondered for a moment before nodding. "You're right, Tikki." She said. "I'll just focus on getting these designs finished for my portfolio for now. I can think about all things Ladybug and Cat Noir later."

Tikki smiled up at her chosen, and the bluenette picked her pencil back up the continue her drawing. However, as soon as her pencil hit the paper, a voice startled her.

"Hello." It said, and Marinette stood quickly and spun around while Tikki quickly hid.

"Cat Noir?" She asked when she saw the hero perched on her balcony railing. He placed his feet on her balcony and stood up straight.

"Hey there, Princess."

* * *

**A/N: aaaaand there's chapter 2! Hope you liked it. **


	3. Healing

**Healing**

_"Hey there, Princess."_

"I know why you're here." Marinette said, turning back around to face away from him as she tried to force her rapidly beating heart to slow down.

"Do you now?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Yes." Marinette said, keeping her gaze fixated on the sky. "You want to ask me how I got the scar again..."

"You got me, Princess." He said, coming to stand behind her. "Can you blame me for being a curious cat?"

"You know what they say about what curiosity did to the cat." Marinette said. "And don't you _dare_ say anything about satisfaction bringing it back."

Behind her, Cat Noir closed his mouth as the words died in his throat.

"I could always drop my transformation, go in the bakery and ask your parents what happened." He said suggestively.

"No!" Marinette exclaimed, whipping around and grabbing him by the wrist, her eyes wide. "You can't! They don't even know about the scars! You can't!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait." He said. "_Scars?_ Plural?"

"Crap." Marinette said through clenched teeth, and she sighed. "Y-_yes_. Plural. There's...two."

"Two?" He asked, and she nodded shyly. "And where is this second scar?"

Marinette shifted her weight on her feet for a moment and bit her bottom lip before shakily grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it up just enough for him to see a scar identical to the one on her chest that rested a few inches above her bellybutton. She didn't meet his eyes or look at his face, but she could tell he was looking at it with wide eyes. It was a natural reaction. She quickly pulled her shirt back down and cleared her throat.

"How do your parents not know about these?" He asked her.

"Nobody knows about them." She said. "Well, except you now, I guess."

"Marinette, _what happened_?" Cat Noir asked her.

The look of genuine concern on his face -a face she had only ever seen him give Ladybug- was like a sucker punch to the gut and she felt tears prick her eyes. A single tear slipped from her eye and began to roll down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.

"Nothing worth talking about." She said quietly, averting her gaze to her feet.

"Somehow I have trouble believing that." He deadpanned, and it took everything in her not to visibly flinch. She sighed heavily and walked past him to the middle of her balcony.

"Can you please just drop it, Cat Noir?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself as she sat back down. "I'm fine, I promise."

"See, I don't believe that either." He said, coming to sit down across from her. "I think you're putting up a good front so your friends and family don't worry about you or start to suspect anything."

Marinette was silent, and continued to avoid his gaze and instead focused intently on her fingers as she twiddled them around nervously. Why was Cat Noir so obsessed with wanting to know anything and everything about the scars anyway? Why did he care so much? Sure, they were friends, but Marinette didn't expect him to care so deeply about her wellbeing.

"Marinette, were you...?" Cat Noir trailed off. "Were you..._attacked_?"

The bluenette laughed dryly and another tear slid down her face. "I guess that's what you could call it." She said, wiping the tear away in frustration. _Why_ was she crying?!

"So, is that a yes?" He asked, and Marinette sighed.

"I mean, yeah, I-I-I guess," She said. "In a way...I was attacked."

"And you never told your parents about it?" He asked, and Marinette couldn't help but begin to laugh.

"Please, if my parents knew..._half_ the things that have happened to me that I've never told them about...they'd go crazy." She said, still laughing a little, but Cat Noir didn't look amused.

"You mean something like this has happened before?" He asked.

"Uh...kind of? I guess?" Marinette replied. Cat Noir put aside his frustration at her vague answer to ask another question.

"Okay, so how were you able to get it past a doctor?" He asked. "I doubt whatever injuries those scars are the product of didn't require stitches."

"I didn't see a doctor." She told him, and his eyes went wide.

"You didn't see a doc-" He spluttered out, flabbergasted. "Marinette, why the _hell_ wouldn't you see a doctor?!"

"Because I would have had to explain what happened!" Marinette told him. "And telling _anybody_ how I got these scars would reveal-"

Marinette stopped herself. She almost blurted out it would reveal her secret identity. She composed herself and spoke again, this time rephrasing herself.

"Telling _anybody_ how I got these scars would...complicate things." She said.

"How?" He asked. "What's so complicated that you can't even tell your own _parents_ that you were attacked?"

Tears stung Marinette's eyes once more, and a couple fell from her eyes and splashed silently on her jeans. She sniffed, and finally looked up into Cat Noir's eyes.

"If I told my parents what happened..." She started. "Then _everything_ I have done to protect them over the past _five years_ would be for nothing. My parents think I'm this..._innocent_, I guess, girl who runs away from danger not towards it, and I'd like to keep it that way. It's easier for them to see me what way."

"It's easier for _them_ or it's easier for _you_?" He asked, and she blinked a couple times at the question.

"Both." She answered simply. "Honestly Chat, even if _you_ knew what I've been up to for the past five years you would..."

She trailed off, and looked away from him again. She just wanted him to leave already, but the thought of turning him away or making him leave made her stomach feel queasy. As much as she normally enjoyed talking with her partner, when the conversation topic was her scars, she wanted nothing more than for him to shut up.

"I would what?" He asked, and Marinette turned back to give him a sad smile. She let out a heavy sigh and reached up to brush from of his hair out of his face.

"You would see me differently." She said, bringing her hand away from his hair.

"You don't know that." He told her, and another tear slipped from her eye.

"But I do." She said. "You would see me differently, and you'd...you'd probably hate me."

"Marinette..." Cat Noir said, reaching over to take one of her hands in his. "Unless you were working with Hawk Moth or something, I could _never_ hate you."

She let out an airy laugh as more tears fell down her face. "Well, I'm not one to work with super villains, but...you'd still hate me."

"I highly doubt that." He told her. "You're a hard girl to hate, Marinette."

"Oh, see, I know a blond girl who would disagree with that." She said, laughing lightly through her tears. "Chloé finds hating me to be quite easy."

"I don't think she _hates_ you." He told her.

"Well, she certainly doesn't like me." Marinette said. "She's made _that_ obvious since the sixth grade."

"Then she's missing out." Cat Noir said. "But Marinette, I could never hate you. No matter what."

"What if I told you...I have a secret?" She asked quietly, after a few moments. "I _big_ secret. A secret so big that if it were to ever get out...things probably wouldn't be pretty."

"Well," Cat Noir said. "it would depend on what this secret is."

Marinette sighed. "I can't tell you what it is...it does play a big part in how I got the scars though."

"You can't just tell me something like that and expect me to _not_ ask about it." Cat Noir told her chuckling lightly, and Marinette smiled for a moment.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday..." She said after a moment. "Someday when...I'm not afraid of it anymore."

"This secret scares you?" He asked, and she nodded.

"A little, yeah." She confessed. "It didn't always scare me...but then what gave me the scars happened, and it's just...never really been the same since then."

A silence fell upon them, neither one of them knowing what else to say. After a few minutes, Marinette stood, wiped her eyes and grabbed her sketchbook.

"Well, it's uh...getting late and I have to help my parents down in the bakery tomorrow so I should probably...go to bed." She said. "Goodnight, Cat Noir."

She rushed past him and climbed down through her skylight into her bedroom, closing the skylight behind her. Cat Noir stared at it for a moment and sighed sadly.

"Goodnight, Princess."

* * *

So, maybe Marinette lied when she said she had to help her parents in the bakery. Truthfully, she hadn't wanted Cat Noir to ask anymore questions about anything. She had already told him too much as is, and didn't want to take the chance of possibly telling him more. However, she wasn't lying when she brought up possibly telling him someday.

As much as she wanted to tell her partner that she was Ladybug and that she was alive and that he didn't have to feel guilty or miss her anymore because she was _right there_, she couldn't. The mere thought of even bringing the subject up sent shivers down her spine. She hated this. She hated being _afraid_ of who she was, of _being_ who she was. She hated it. She wanted to transform, but every time she thought about what would happen if people saw her made her change her mind faster than you could say 'Miraculous'.

But maybe someday.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Tikki asked her as she lay awake staring at the ceiling. The bluenette sighed heavily and shifted her legs underneath her comforter.

"I don't know, Tikki." She answered honestly. "I love being able to see and talk with Cat Noir again, but if he keeps asking about the scars what am I supposed to tell him? I can't lie to him forever, right?"

"It...wouldn't be ideal." Tikki told her. "But Marinette, you don't have to tell him the whole truth yet if you aren't ready or don't want to."

Marinette sighed and brought her hands up to her eyes as she felt tears prick them. "God, this is so stupid. He's me _partner_, I should be able to tell him anything, but when it comes to me being Ladybug I just..._can't_." She said.

"And that's _okay_." Tikki told her. "Marinette, what happened to you was awful, and it's okay to not want to talk about it with even the person you're closest to. You'll be ready one day. You just need to finish healing."

"But I thought the Miraculous magic healed everything?" Marinette asked, and Tikki shook her head.

"I don't mean physically, Marinette." She said. "I mean emotionally, and mentally. What happened to you was a scary and traumatic thing, it's going to take time for _those_ wounds to heal."

Marinette sighed and her brows furrowed as she thought over what Tikki said. She knew she was right, Tikki was always right.

"How am I supposed to heal if I can't even talk about it?" Marinette asked. "Talking helps the healing process, right? But I _can't_ talk about what happened without outing myself as Ladybug..."

"Of course you can, Marinette." Tikki told her. "You just have to make sure you avoid a few details."

"Are you suggesting that I actually..._tell_ Cat Noir about what happened?" The bluenette asked in disbelief.

"Not the full story since you clearly aren't ready for that yet, but as much as you can without giving too much away." Tikki said, and Marinette's brows furrowed more as she contemplated her Kwami's words.

"I'll...think about it." Marinette said, and shifted so she was laying on her side. "All this thinking is making my brain hurt."

"Get some sleep, Marinette." Tikki said softly. "You need it."

Marinette smiled tiredly at her Kwami as she laid her head on her pillow and slid her eyes closed, finally allowing her exhaustion to take over as she fell into a deep sleep.

Marinette's Sunday wasn't really all that eventful. She originally had plans to hang out with Alya again, but Alya got roped into watching her little sisters again, which Marinette completely understood and simply told Alya that she'd see her at school the next day. She spent her day completing the designs for her portfolio and even adding some last minute finishing touches to them all. When the evening rolled around, and Marinette knew Cat Noir would be out and about like he always was at night, she hastily climbed out onto her balcony and leaned against the railing, tapping her foot anxiously against the ground.

She heard him before she saw him, the sound of his staff spinning in the air as he launched himself onto her balcony made him lose his element of surprise.

"Hey Cat Noir." She greeted without turning around, and she _almost_ laughed when she heard his footsteps falter and he almost tripped.

"Hey, Princess." He greeted back a bit awkwardly. "I was just...checking in. Seeing how you were doing."

Marinette hummed, looking down to the street below for a moment before looking back to the moon. "If you were anybody else, I would tell you that I'm fine, but..." She turned on her heels to face him, a somber look on her face. "I can't lie to you, Cat Noir."

His eyes widened for a split second at her words, but he quickly regained his composure and waited for her to continue.

"A couple months ago...I was attacked." She began, feeling her throat go dry. "I was...fighting...with someone, and things were getting pretty heated...and the next thing I knew they were pulling a blade on me."

Shock registered in Cat Noir's eyes, but he remained silent as he waited for her to finish telling the story.

"First, they stabbed me in the stomach," She said, putting her hand over her shirt where her scar resided beneath the fabric. "and apparently me coughing up blood wasn't enough to satisfy them because they stabbed me in the chest next."

Marinette was aware of the tears currently streaming down her face due to her blurred vision, but she paid no mind to them. This wasn't the first time Cat Noir had seen her cry and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"He dropped me onto the ground and then he just...and then he just _left_. As if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't done anything wrong..." She trailed off as her voice shook. "I don't know how long I just..._laid _there. I didn't move, I _couldn't_ move. All I could do was cough up blood and hope like hell somebody would find me...but nobody ever did."

"If nobody found you, then how did you-"

"Get home?" She finished for him. "I don't really remember. It's all kind of fuzzy, probably because of all the blood I lost and I was light-headed and delirious..."

Cat Noir started taking slow steps towards her, and when he got closer she saw tears in his eyes too.

"I couldn't tell my parents..." She said, her voice breaking. "I couldn't tell them because they wouldn't...they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand _why_ I had to hide such a huge thing from them and-"

Marinette's bottom lip quivered, and she looked away from Cat Noir for a moment, clenching her eyes shut as more tears spilled from her eyes.

"It was the scariest night of my life." She said, reopening her eyes. "I almost _died_...I think I _was _dead for a minute but..._every night_ when I close my eyes...all I see is _him_, and the blade and the blood and I can..._feel it_ slicing through me again like I'm butter and I just-"

She was cut off by Cat Noir wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. She hugged him back just as tightly and started to sob. Her body wracked with sobs as she cried into his shoulder, and he pulled her tighter to him as he rocked her gently back and forth.

"I can't put my parents through that." She choked out through her cries. "I won't do that to them. So if I have to go through it alone, I will."

"You're not going through it alone." He told her. "Not anymore. You hear me? You've got me, now. Okay?"

All she could do was nod against him and wrap her arms tighter around his waist. He rested his cheek on the top of her head and continued to hold her as she cried. Neither of them knew how long they stood there holding each other, but neither of them cared. Eventually, they had to part and Marinette wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket.

"Uh, tha-thanks." She said, sniffing. "For uh...listening."

"Well, you let me cry on your shoulder the other night. I figured it was only fair I return the favor." He said with a smile and she giggled. "But if you ever need to talk about what happened or how you feel about it, you can talk to me."

Marinette nodded. "I know that." She told him. "...and I will."

He smiled at her once more, and then he stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him in bewilderment, a slight blush tainting her cheeks.

"I'm sure you have school tomorrow like I do, so I'll let you get to bed." He said. "Goodnight, Marinette."

He turned and leapt off her balcony, running off into the darkness until she could no longer see him.

"Goodnight, Cat Noir."

* * *

"Girl, are you okay?" Alya asked her as she walked up the steps of the school the next morning. It was one of the rare mornings Marinette was actually to school early.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Marinette said quickly. "Why?"

"Your eyes are all bloodshot." Alya told her. "Were you up late or something?"

"Uh...yeah." She said warily. "I was um...finishing the designs for my portfolio."

Adrien -who was standing next to Nino behind Alya- gave her a warm smile and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

That was something that frustrated her. Marinette loved Cat Noir, she truly did, but for whatever reason, her stomach still fluttered around Adrien Agreste. She still had the slightest crush on him, and she felt like she was betraying Cat Noir in some way whenever she got flustered around the blond model. It was also a little ironic seeing as she used to feel the same way when it came to said model whenever she started to become aware of her feelings for her leather clad partner. It was the most confusing and frustrating thing ever.

"Are they finally done?!" Alya asked, and Marinette nodded sheepishly. "Oh my god! You _have _to let me see them, _please_!"

"_After _school, okay?" Marinette told her best friend, giggling lightly.

"Okay, fine." Alya said. "I'll wait. It'll be worth it."

"Hey, I want to see Mari's killer designs too!" Nino piped up with a goofy grin on his face, and Marinette laughed.

"Okay, okay, you and Alya meet me at my locker after school, got it?" Marinette asked, and they both nodded. Marinette saw Adrien looking a little hesitant about something, did he want to see them too and just not know how to ask her? She decided to ask.

"Did you want to see them, too, Adrien?" She asked, and the models eyes widened a bit in surprise at the question.

"Uh, I mean, y-yeah." He replied with a shy smile.

"Okay. Same thing goes to you. My locker after school, now lets get inside before the bell rings and we're late." Marinette said, and began to usher them all inside.

"Uh, says the girl who is literally _always _late even though she literally lives _across the street_." Alya teased and Marinette lightly punched her arm.

"Hey!" The bluenette called in mock-offense. The four of them just laughed and continued walking through the courtyard to the staircase. Three of them unaware of the glances Adrien kept stealing at Marinette.

* * *

**A/N: Not gonna lie, this is totally a filler chapter. I'm sorry! I didn't really know how else to lead up to what happens next so...here's this mess. **

**Review maybe?**

**~Charlotte**


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